Magic of Historyhttps://magicofhistory.com
A Place to find History in TV, film, books and on the WebThu, 17 Jan 2019 05:30:21 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=5.0.3https://magicofhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cropped-logo512-32x32.jpgMagic of Historyhttps://magicofhistory.com
3232144180864The Perilous Adventures of the Cowboy King: A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt and His Timeshttps://magicofhistory.com/the-perilous-adventures-of-the-cowboy-king-a-novel-of-teddy-roosevelt-and-his-times/
Thu, 17 Jan 2019 05:30:21 +0000http://magicofhistory.com/?p=2595The Perilous Adventures of the Cowboy King: A Novel of Teddy Roosevelt and His Times chronicles Teddy Roosevelt’s life until the time he becomes president. It’s a story of a superhero of sorts: a man with a life full of exciting moments, with a generous heart for the poor. The author, Jerome Charyn answered some […]

There are a lot of contradictions in TR, but he is the first
modern superhero – he had boundless energy, all the energy of superman.

He was the first scion of an aristocratic family to enter
politics. He was also the first
president to come from a big city – from my city, New York.

He was never rich, he never worked in the service of
money. He had no greed. He had received a legacy but he put all of
his inheritance into two ranches in the Dakotas, then lost everything in a dust
storm.

TR started very early in his life, first as an assemblyman, then,
despite losing his run for mayor, Roosevelt continued to push for reforms that
served citizens of New York. He became
both police commissioner and president of the police board. At that time, the police department was a
nest of cronyism and corruption. TR
accomplished great things as police commissioner. He was famous for going on midnight rambles
to see for himself how the police were operating.

While police commissioner, he used his position on the housing
commission to push for better conditions for the poor – he went into the
tenements and tried to reform them, working for better housing for Jews, Irish,
Italians.

Big business hated him because he supported upholding Blue
Laws. Instead of spending his leisure
time with industrialists and the rich, TR spent time with newspapermen like
Jacob Riis and Lincoln Steffens.

As Assistant Secretary of the Navy, he formed his own
regiment to fight in the Spanish-American War.
He was elected New York’s Governor in 1899, and Vice President in
1901. Just months later, following
McKinley’s assassination, TR became our 26th President at the age of
42.

TR was a man of startling contradictions. He was a big game hunter – lots of trophy
heads – but he revered animals. He was an avid birder who could sing all the
birdsongs with perfect pitch. TR launched the DAWES Act which protected national
parks from concessionaires.

He had the first black guest in the White House – Booker T.
Washington – he was derided and caricatured for that. A black regiment fought alongside him on San
Juan Hill.

We’ve all heard of TR the Rough Rider, but I was also
interested in what happened after the Rough Riders disbanded. I discovered that Roosevelt continued to take
care of them. They became his family. He supported them and got them out of
trouble; and rescued them when they needed rescuing.

I was especially moved by TR’s relationship with his pet mountain lion, Josephine – and she has a whole chapter in my novel [which is dedicated to Ting, my first and favorite feline.]

2. Was he really as inspiring as history records, or was he just a product of his time?

TR is a man who was totally misunderstood. He was far more complicated than we could ever imagine. Yes, he had his prejudices, but he loved nature and the natural world, and if he were still alive, species would not be disappearing by the hour. If we lose out animals, we will have a desert in front of us, without beauty, without water, without poetry.

3. What parallels do you see between Roosevelt’s time and our own?

What seems startling is that there are so many similarities between TR and our current president – they both arose out of a kind of contradiction.

Since they were both outsiders, both mavericks, they didn’t
have any obligations to anyone.

And both of them seemed to have an astounding good time as
president – and enjoy wielding the power of the presidency.

The Republicans were actually trying to get rid of TR when
they sent him into the graveyard of the vice presidency – as governor he was
interfering with big business and they didn’t want to support him for reelection.

But how the hell could they know that McKinley would be
shot?

At the time, Mark Hanna,
US Senator and head of the Republican National Committee, said about TR: “that mad man is one
heartbeat away from the presidency.”

However, the discrepancy between the rich and the poor were
almost EXACTLY the same then as now. The
difference was that we had coal miners then and now we have people who work at
Walmart or McDonalds – it’s a universe of minimum wage.

Instead
of Amazon and Apple, in TR’s time we had US Steel. So, the most powerful person in America was
J. Pierpont Morgan – he controlled the economy of the US with his button-like
nose. Today we have Amazon, Facebook and
Apple to drive the economy.

4.
What did you learn in the process of writing the book that you didn’t realize
before?

For so long he’s been presented as
a kind of cartoon president, and if I had not swum deeply into his history I
never would have understood how complicated a man he was. Tiny, asthmatic he
was brought back to life by his father who took him on sleigh rides through the
wild west of upper Manhattan and taught him how not to be a snob, or use his
wealth to take advantage of other people.

His whole life was formed by his
desire to never violate his father’s beliefs in fairness and concern for the
disadvantaged.

He never would have achieved greatness without his father’s ghost.

5. Is TR a figure for our time?

In many ways he was quite old-fashioned
and certainly very prim and proper about sexuality, so he would be bewildered
by trans people and gender fluidity, however, he had a very powerful moral
sense of what was right and what was wrong and would have been an absolute
champion of the environment. He also
would have despaired the great divide between poverty and wealth in this
country and would have been a real equalizer.

]]> Well, 2019 is off to a roaring start, so I decided to suggest some ways to find good historical fiction books, stories and films.It’s always a challenge to find them. No matter what era you like to read about, these locations will help you find what you’re looking for.

1. Reading the Past. Sarah Johnson, who runs the site, is a friend, and that’s why she’s first on the list. I wrote about the site earlier last year, and Reading the Past has only gotten better since then. Sarah likes all types of historical fiction, and often posts guest posts from other authors. Whenever I look there, I see something I like. The blog is now 13 years old.

2. Charles Rector recently contacted me and asked me to tell the world about a new historical fiction webzine, called the Magazine of History and Fiction. The webzine’s first issue is out, and contains a number of stories aimed at both men and women.

One story I liked in particular is I’d Rather Lose My Head, by Kat Devitt, is about Anne Boleyn, before her marriage to Henry the VIII. Here’s a quote:

Anne Boleyn

Anne never wanted duty to signify her life, nor did Henry Percy. She discovered a kindred flame in him. In the moment they met, he craved after her, like a beggar after water. They sparked and blazed in the months to follow.

One night, he took her in passion. And she lived outside of duty. For the first time, she understood the truth about herself. She was not her father’s teachings, no matter how hard he tried to press her into his mold. She was desire. She was rebellion. This was the clay of the true Anne Boleyn.

Henry Percy held her that night, skin to skin. They promised themselves to one another, paving out a future together in their minds. He claimed so much that night. He claimed the moon and stars for her, claimed the fires of hell and the light of heaven. He’d give her anything, on the condition she would always be his.

He told her of his family. They, too, tried to force him to fit the model of duty. He despised them for pressing him towards a betrothal struck when he was a child. He claimed he wanted to smash the word “duty” into nothingness and eradicate it from their language. Then, and only then, could they belong to one another.

Anne believed him. But he wasn’t strong enough to live up to the might of his declaration. And now she sat here, a fool, while he went against all his silly promises and dwelt in what she despised most—duty.

I’ve been reading Alison Weir’s book The Six Wives of Henry VIII, so I was drawn to this story. The site also includes novelettes, book reviews, movie reviews and essays. Let’s hope this publication lasts.

3. Amazon and Amazon Prime. This is the go-to place to find good historical fiction books, but, ironically, they are sometimes difficult to find. You can always search by category, doing a google search for Amazon best-sellers, then going to Literature and Fiction, then going to Historical Fiction to see the top 100 paid and free historical fiction books. You can read reviews there, too, of course.

Amazon Prime Video is indispensable when it comes to finding great films. You can go to the home page of Amazon prime and simply search historical dramas or wait until you’ve watched a few and then go to your recommended list. Dramas seem to be one code word for historical fiction.

4. Goodreads is a much more direct way of finding good historical fiction books. Go to browse, then set historical fiction under “favorite genres.” There will be endless recommendations. You can find reviews with every book. It’s a fun place for book lovers.

5.The Copperfield Review is the oldest historical fiction magazine currently on the web. It’s a place where aspiring historical novelists can publish short stories and other forms of short fiction, so if you’re wanting to get published, there’s a double bonus: you can read and enjoy, and also submit your own writing:

This is from the current edition, from a story called The White Ship by Richard Comerford:

The Sinking of the White Ship from a Different Perspective

King Henry had thanked him, saying he was pleased with his own vessel, but he had entrusted Thomas with many of his entourage, including his sons William and Richard and his daughter Matilda. William the Atheling was an important charge, as he would be the next Duke of Normandy and would inherit Henry’s crown.

And… he was the young nobleman who, swaying slightly from too much wine,had ordered Thomas to chase and overtake the King’s ship which had left before them.

Thomas was not pleased, but knew he had to do as he was bidden, and he gave orders accordingly while he looked at the noisy, drunken young men and women making merry on his beautiful ship. Free from the stern eye of the King they were intent on making the most of their brief freedom. He had certainly not approved of the boorish manner in which they had driven off a group of pious priests who had merely wished to bless the ship and her voyage. The baffled priests had retreated in the face of a storm of abuse and sneers.

Surely it is bad luck to turn away a priest – many priests – who come from God to bless your venture…?

6. Willow and Thatch is a website devoted to period pieces on film and TV. It contains lists, for example, of the best period pieces on Netflix and Amazon in 2019. The website owners also sell products.

7.Passages to the Past is starting a reading challenge for 2019. I signed up, as can anyone. It offers plenty of reviews of historical fiction books. The blog is now over ten years old.

8. Netflix is everybody’s favorite place to go to watch movies. If you’re interested in historical fiction, go to the period pieces category, where every movie is set in the past.

9. Historical Fiction Ebooks is a site where good historical fiction books are categorized according to era — so you should be able to find something if you know what you want. Authors are invited to join the site, so the quality of the books can be assured. One author member whom I haven’t read in a while but enjoyed in the past is N. Gemini Sasson.

]]>2588Hildegard Bingen: Music for Your Ears, Beauty for Your Soulhttps://magicofhistory.com/hildegard-bingen-music-for-your-ears-beauty-for-your-soul/
Sun, 23 Dec 2018 03:26:43 +0000http://magicofhistory.com/?p=2560Hildegard Bingen lived behind cloistered walls in the 12th century. But Hildegard Bingen’s music is still being played, music she composed more than 800 years ago. That fact alone should be enough to warrant a film about an extraordinary woman. But Hildegard is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, a doctor of the church. […]

]]>Hildegard Bingen lived behind cloistered walls in the 12th century. But Hildegard Bingen’s music is still being played, music she composed more than 800 years ago.

That fact alone should be enough to warrant a film about an extraordinary woman.

But Hildegard is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, a doctor of the church. Vision-From the life of Hildegard von Bingen — is a film in German about her life. It’s strangely touching.

Hildegard’s Young Life in the Convent

Vision, which includes subtitles, begins when Hildegard is eight, and is given by her parents to a convent. She is immediately adopted by a nun named Jutta, an affectionate and holy woman who takes Hildegard under her wing. Hildegard soon loses her loneliness and adapts to the life of the convent, along with another young girl.

We next see Hildegard when she is in her late 30s, still living in the convent. Jutta has died, and Hildegard has been nominated to become the new abbess. At first she protests, but when those around her tell her it is God’s will, she relents.

Curiously, she and the other nuns are cloistered with a group of men — monks who have also taken vows. One of the first moves Hildegard makes is to move her nuns to a cloister of their own, away from men and the dangers they represent.

Her First Victory

This is a challenge, as most of her male superiors are against it, but she ultimately succeeds. The nuns resent her, because they now have to live in tents until the cloister is built, but Hildegard remains an inspiration.

She tells them anyone who wants to can leave, but some stick with her.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Hildegard is that she has visions — visions that tell of the future. She uses her power judiciously, but is not afraid of them. She’s had these visions since she was a child. Some suggest she really suffered from migraines, which were the source of her visions. But the movie represents them well.

Hildegard: A Woman for the Modern Age

What we have here is the story of a very cool nun from a thousand years ago. In addition, Hildegard von Bingen was a composer, an author on many subjects and a visionary, literally, whose revelations were set down in numerous volumes over four decades. But the cool part – the ways in which some of her attitudes were ahead of her time – is our modern point of connection, without which there could probably be no movie.

Von Bingen, as the head of a convent – think Sally Field‘s boss on “The Flying Nun” – eschewed self-castigation and had this zany idea that God didn’t want people to starve and flagellate themselves but to enjoy creation. She also encouraged theatrical presentations and on special occasions would have all the sisters let down their hair and wear white robes, the idea being that, as virgins, they were wedded to God and had the right to be beautiful.

The interplay, within von Bingen, of the modern and the medieval, is an interesting aspect of “Vision,” one nicely embodied by Barbara Sukowa, who plays her as a true mystic, brittle and driven, capable of intense personal attachments, and yet someone apart – someone not cuddly. The source of the drama, however, comes from von Bingen’s clashes with the priests of her time, who expected von Bingen and her nuns to behave like second-class citizens.

At one point, the head priest rejects an urgent request from von Bingen. Though she is disappointed, she recovers herself and leaves him with one of the great parting lines, “May God grant you peace in the short time you have left.”

A Fateful Relationship

Hildegard is presented in this film as a human, not as a saint. She becomes obsessed with a younger nun named Ricardis, who practically worships her.

But things change when Ricardis has the chance to become the abbess of a new convent. Her mother, who in the past has supported Hildegard, wants her daughter to now advance.

But Hildegard won’t budge. She is forced into acceptance after everyone in her life lobbies for Ricardis to move.

It’s not exactly a love affair, but it humbles Hildegard. While she is talented in music and showmanship, (and seeing the future), she doesn’t get everything she wants.

Mixed Reviews for Vision

There were mixed reviews for this film. Directed by Margarethe von Trotta, a celebrated German film director,the movie is about women, but not necessarily only for women. Some critics utterly reject Christianity, and thus don’t see the point of a film about a nun.

Jeffrey Overstreet, in the Seattle Pacific University Response, addresses this.

it tells the dramatic story of a leader who lived a life of passions and disciplines that seem almost contradictory to a 21st-century mind.

If you’ve heard of Hildegard, you probably know her for the sacred music she composed. But she was also ahead of her time in her scientific inquiry. Her expertise in herbalism made her an effective healer. She was also a philosopher who wrote plays and poetry, and she helped the Benedictine nuns under her supervision gain more influence and responsibility within the church. She deserves to be the subject of a great film. Is this that movie?

Almost.

Actress Barbara Sukowa gives Hildegard intriguing complexity, a feisty personality, and an almost irresistible charisma that makes most other big-screen portrayals of religious leaders seem simplistic and judgmental. We rarely see Christians depicted as intellectuals with lively imaginations. The film inspires viewers to admire her courage, convictions and talents, but also to question her judgment at times.

So Hildegard is imperfect, as are all human beings. This movie will leave a mark. It is an intricate tale of the middle ages, a tale of a distinguished woman in that era, an era where few women managed to accomplish much in the wider world.

It inspires while it brings us down to earth. And it demonstrates that some remarkable women can create something that lasts almost a thousand years.

]]>2560Why Do Serial Killers Kill? I’ll Be Gone In the Dark Attempts to Answer That.https://magicofhistory.com/why-do-serial-killers-kill-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-attempts-to-answer-that/
https://magicofhistory.com/why-do-serial-killers-kill-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-attempts-to-answer-that/#commentsSat, 08 Dec 2018 03:44:04 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2536There is, of course, no easy answers to the question of why serial killers kill. Author Michelle McNamara pondered that for many years before her early death at age 46. Whether or not her research into the Golden State Killer played a role in her death is unanswered. But her writing style is a delight. […]

]]>There is, of course, no easy answers to the question of why serial killers kill. Author Michelle McNamara pondered that for many years before her early death at age 46. Whether or not her research into the Golden State Killer played a role in her death is unanswered. But her writing style is a delight.

I listened to the audio book of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. For some reason, the book wasn’t available on Amazon and I had a few extra credits on Audible so I downloaded it. Listening to the nine hour audiobook was draining. I have to admit I think I would have preferred to have read the I’ll Be Gone in the Dark book, because I did not like the narrator of the audio book that much.

One of the most famous serial killers…

The Golden State killer operated in northern and southern California in the 1970s and 1980s. He started as a rapist and progressed to murdering about a dozen people. The Golden State Killer was only caught and charged in April of 2018. The version of the audiobook I consumed did not have details of the arrest, but the book that’s now available does have them.

I think it would be interesting to read the new book because the audio book contains a lot of speculation about various suspects. I don’t think the man who was ultimately charged was ever suspected of the crime.

Sketch of the suspect in the 1970s.

Golden State Killer Charged

The Golden State Killer was found in Bath New York in 2018. His name is Joseph James DeAngelo, and he was originally from California.

The book contains lots of informations about all the murders attributed to DeAngelo, as well as the more than 50 rapes. DeAngelo is only charged with one murder, because the statute of limitations on the rapes have run out.

Throughout the book, McNamara discusses her own involvement with all the various detectives assigned to the case, from the 70s to the present day. She describes their personalities and how she interacted with them. She also details her personal life with her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt, and their daughter.

Mostly, she describes her own obsession with the case: how she sat on her bed every night with her laptop, exploring various databases related to the case. She ponders over the various suspects, and even found some suspects for the police to consider, but nothing ever panned out.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark Book

McNamara wrote:

One day soon, you’ll hear a car pull up to your curb, an engine cut out. You’ll hear footsteps coming up your front walk. Like they did for Edward Wayne Edwards, twenty-nine years after he killed Timothy Hack and Kelly Drew, in Sullivan, Wisconsin. Like they did for Kenneth Lee Hicks, thirty years after he killed Lori Billingsley, in Aloha, Oregon.

The doorbell rings.

No side gates are left open. You’re long past leaping over a fence. Take one of your hyper, gulping breaths. Clench your teeth. Inch timidly toward the insistent bell.

This is how it ends for you.

“You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark,” you threatened a victim once.

Open the door. Show us your face.

Walk into the light.”

McNamara died in 2016. DeAngelo was arrested two years later. It happened because investigators were able to convince a company that provides consumers with DNA results to work with them.

Apparently some of DeAngelo’s distant relatives had uploaded their DNA results, and this was how he was traced.

Michelle McNamara Death

Some people have said the book would never have become famous if McNamara hadn’t died, and, perhaps, if DeAngelo hadn’t been found. But I disagree. I found the book compelling, even if I didn’t like the audiobook format.

McNamara, who was a blogger about True Crime, was a very talented writer. And she had the investigative instincts of a reporter or even a detective. Her life ended too soon.

]]>https://magicofhistory.com/why-do-serial-killers-kill-ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-attempts-to-answer-that/feed/22536The Road to Calvary : Netflix Presents the Russian Revolutionhttps://magicofhistory.com/the-road-to-calvary-netflix-presents-the-russian-revolution/
Thu, 06 Dec 2018 01:39:27 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2517It’s a Russian program, produced one hundred years after the Russian revolution, a timeline of how the middle classes in pre-revolution Russia dealt with it, and it’s like something that you’ve never seen before. It’s a history, it’s a romance, it’s a war story, but mostly it’s just a good, soap opera retelling of Russian […]

]]>It’s a Russian program, produced one hundred years after the Russian revolution, a timeline of how the middle classes in pre-revolution Russia dealt with it, and it’s like something that you’ve never seen before.

It’s a history, it’s a romance, it’s a war story, but mostly it’s just a good, soap opera retelling of Russian Revolution facts. Based on the book by Alexei Tolstory, The Road to Calvary cast is charming, and it traverses six years in a manner that draws you in and makes you attached to the characters.

The Road to Calvary: a TV show from a different perspective

The unique thing about this show is how the producer and director were capable of looking back to pre-Communist times and depicting the different classes that existed: peasants, servants, middle class and nobility.

The story centers on two sisters, Katia and Dasha, who are part of the middle class. At the start of the 12 episode series, the two sisters are attracted to the same man, a poet who performs in theaters and is lauded by society. Only one of the sisters manages to consummate her love, and both are nearly destroyed by Alexei Bessonov, who predicts the end of Russia.

The eldest sister, Katia, is married and troubled. At the start of the story, Dasha lives with her elder sister and her husband in St. Petersburg while she attends school.

Dasha meets Ivan Telegin, and the attraction is mutual. But Telegin is a solider, and he is whisked off to battle in World War I. Their separation leads Dasha to experience some of what separated spouses go through during wartime.

Katya’s husband eventually dies, and she too finds love with a soldier. But as the Russian Revolution begins, Katya and Dasha’s spouses find themselves on opposite sides. Dasha’s husband Telegin is a Red, while Katya’s husband is a White.

This leads to all sorts of complications.

Russian Revolution Facts and The Road to Calvary

The cinematography of The Road to Calvary is picturesque. Drones were used to film the battle scenes from overhead. Most of the filming took place during winter, and snow is ubiquitous throughout.

What I liked was the characterization: the neurotic quality of Katya, the in-your-face quality of Dasha who is also overly emotional, their father, who is distant in a non-cruel way. Telegin is charismatic, and Katya’s husband has a definite Russian flair that showcases his masculinity.

Apparently, this is the third Soviet production of Tolstoy’s novel The Road to Calvary. This time, the producers concentrated on the human details as opposed to the Communist victory in the Revolution. It also doesn’t shield from the bloodshed of war. Producer Timyur Weinstein comments in Drama Quarterly:

“Well, we think it’s a universal story – it’s about love, life and the wars,” he adds. “We’ve had a lot of adaptations being made in Russia [such as remakes of Breaking Bad and The Bridge]. But [original] Russian formats have long been deserving of international attention and international viewers.

“In the current market, we think we can overcome any barriers that have existed in the past. This is where we’re headed. I have been involved in a lot of foreign adaptations and I know that the foundation of a successful one is always a good screenplay and an interesting story. I think The Road to Calvary is exactly that.”

The Road to Calvary book

The Road to Calvary is based on three books that transpire over 20 years, ending in the 1940s.
For his trilogy Alexey Tolstoy was awarded the Stalin Prize of the first degree in the amount of 100,000 rubles on March 19, 1943, which he transferred to the Defense Fund for the construction of the tank “Grozny” (T-34 No. 310-0929).

Grade: B+

Check Out Other Magic of History Links about the Russia

]]>2517The Last Kingdom, Season 3, Ranks as Superbhttps://magicofhistory.com/the-last-kingdom-season-3-ranks-as-superb/
Fri, 30 Nov 2018 22:48:25 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2506If it’s possible, The Last Kingdom’s third season has surpassed the first two. The acting, the drama, the battle scenes are all better than than the first and second season. And when it’s over, you’re simply wishing the next season will arrive sooner rather than later. Bernard Cornwell has written 11 books about Uhtred, (the […]

]]>If it’s possible, The Last Kingdom’s third season has surpassed the first two. The acting, the drama, the battle scenes are all better than than the first and second season. And when it’s over, you’re simply wishing the next season will arrive sooner rather than later.

Bernard Cornwell has written 11 books about Uhtred, (the last book linked here) the North Saxon princeling who was kidnapped by the Danes and raised as a viking, only to travel to Wessex and work for the unification of Britain under King Alfred the Great.

The Vikings Are Still in Britain

This season, Alfred is on the verge of death, but still frenetically working toward his life’s major goal — that of getting all the kingdoms on the island to unite under a single role and government. The task isn’t complete yet, and both Uhtred and Albert are banking on Albert’s two children, Edward and Aethelflaed, to get the job done.

But it’s a bloody business.

It’s mainly because of the Vikings. They’re still vying for control of the isle of England, and many tribal leaders are willing to make war against anyone who threatens them, including other Vikings as well as the Saxons.

Some More than Interesting Characters

The cast of characters is significant. New this season is Skade, a blonde tatooed sorceress who casts a curse on Uhtred and then does all she can to seduce him.

There’s Aethelwold, the king’s nephew whose father was Alfred’s brother. He believes he has more right to the throne than Alfred’s own son, Edward. Thus, Aethelwold constantly seeks a complicated series of allies and pretend allies, all decided to hand him the throne once Alfred dies. But because he murders someone, Aethelwold’s fate is decided.

There is Father Beocca, the Catholic priest who serves as an advisor to Alfred and as a friend to Uhtred. He marries Thyra, Uhtred’s adopted sister when he lived with the Danes. Their brother, Ragnar, continues as a tribal leader to the Danes, although he is more than loyal to Uhtred.

There are others, too. Mainly Uhtred’s men who display a number of peculiarities, but all are also loyal to Uhtred. And Viking adversaries Siegfried and Bloodhair, Skade’s former lover, provide many moments of excitement and entertainment.

The battle scenes, between the shield wall of the Saxons and the bloody blades of the Viking mob come out without a hitch.

Superior scripting!

The writing in the series is fantastic, and was, according to Den of Geek, inspired by Brexit.

The Last Kingdom’s Sophie Petzal, a writer on series two and three, told Den Of Geek that was exactly the plan from the writers’ room. Creator Stephen Butchard told the team, “I want this to be the Brexit series.”

The actions of Alfred’s scheming nephew Aethelwold (played brilliantly by Harry McEntire), perpetually dissatisfied at having been denied the throne, feels as though he has more than a couple of real-life political influences this series. Were his actions intended to represent those of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson?

“Basically yes,” says Petzal. “Michael Gove… Impotent and leaning in to divisiveness and harnessing it for his own nefarious aims, absolutely.”

The death of Beocca’s Danish wife Thyra, who suffered a campaign of racist abuse from bigoted, manipulated Saxons that eventually led to her tragic ending, was “a big Brexit moment,” Petzal tells us.

Whether bullying a Viking woman compares to a political movement sparked by hundreds of thousands of immigrants moving to Britain remains to be seen, but it does point out the paralells of human nature across the centuries.

Emmys in the works?

…the Uhtred-Alfred relationship is at the core of the story, embodying the Danish-English dichotomy and ceaselessly pulled back and forth by the cross-currents of the besieged English natives and the relentlessly aggressive Norsemen. After they pair have survived a seemingly terminal rupture, there’s an unbearably emotional scene when Alfred, reduced to little more than a whispering ghost by his consuming illness, at last admits that his achievements couldn’t have been built without Uhtred’s heroic efforts. Even so, he rather churlishly still hadn’t included Uhtred in his Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Both actors are surely due some award-winning action, but Dawson’s portrayal of the king is magnificent in its clarity of focus and unrelenting intensity.

Aelswith a Standout

Another notable performance is that of Eliza Butterworth, who portrays Aelswith, Alfred’s wife. Aelswith hates Uhtred, seeing him as the prime example of a heathen because he clings to his pagan, Viking ways. Yet she isn’t a complete shrew. Her love for Alfred and her chilldren is evident, and she manages to demonstrate how you can submit to a spouse even when you violently disagree with him. Her dilemma is compounded when Alfred dies in the middle of one of her diatribes against Uhtred.

In Conclusion

The Last Kingdom, Season 3, is a standout and a must-see. The scenes between Uther and Alfred alone are moving, understated, and calculated to convince you of a masterful performance.

Uhtred’s future is still in doubt as the series ends. He has sworn to Alfred that he will remain in Wessex until Edward is crowned king, so Uhtred has to delay his plans to go back to Bebbanburg in the north and claim his heritage and his castle.

Aethflaed, Alfred’s daughter, is now the queen of Mercia, a neighborhing kingdom to Wessex. She is wed to Aethelstan, a scheming trickster who also has visions of becoming king of Wessex and possibly, England. But Aethelflaed’s chemistry with Uhtred cannot be mistaken, so she’s likely to have a continuing role in the series. She’s battled hardened and possibly made of sterner stuff than her little brother, so she’s likely to remain a warrior for Britain.

The show has plenty of storylines for both men and women, which is a bit of a departure from the books. But Bernard Cornwell must be happy to see his stories portrayed on the screen in this matter. It couldn’t be bloodier, gorier, or more glorious.

]]>2506The Blue Explores Historical Mystery and Romancehttps://magicofhistory.com/the-blue-an-historical-mystery-and-romance-about-the-porcelain-wars/
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 05:15:07 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2492The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau, is a book about the search for a perfect shade of blue, to be used on porcelain. It’s an unusual subject, but an intriguing one as the book progresses, all about the porcelain wars of the 18th century between England and France. Magic of History is the latest stop on […]

]]>The Blue, by Nancy Bilyeau, is a book about the search for a perfect shade of blue, to be used on porcelain. It’s an unusual subject, but an intriguing one as the book progresses, all about the porcelain wars of the 18th century between England and France. Magic of History is the latest stop on its blog tour.

Genevieve Planche, the heroine, is caught in the middle of both worlds. She is the descendant of French Hugeonots living in England, a Protestant sect reviled in France and its adherents forced to emigrate. But she still carries the “taint” of being French, and her desire to become a painter runs counter to what the expectations for women were at the time.

Written in present tense, The Blue shows Genevieve begin work at a porcelain factory in Derby England, and fall in love with a man she has been sent to investigate. Period detail is rich, and historical research is evident.

When Genevieve meets the charming Sir Gabriel Courtenay, he offers her an opportunity she can’t refuse; if she learns the secrets of porcelain, he will send her to Venice. But in particular, she must learn the secrets of the color blue…

The ensuing events take Genevieve deep into England’s emerging industrial heartlands, where not only does she learn about porcelain, but also about the art of industrial espionage.

With the heart and spirit of her Huguenot ancestors, Genevieve faces her challenges head on, but how much is she willing to suffer in pursuit and protection of the colour blue?

Nancy Bilyeau has worked on the staffs of InStyle, DuJour, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and Good Housekeeping. She is currently the deputy editor of the Center on Media, Crime and Justice at City University of New York and a regular contributor to Town & Country, Purist, and The Vintage News.

A native of the Midwest, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. THE CROWN, her first novel and an Oprah pick, was published in 2012; the sequel, THE CHALICE, followed in 2013. The third in the trilogy, THE TAPESTRY, was published by Touchstone in 2015. Her fourth novel, THE BLUE, will be publishing on December 3, 2018.Nancy Bilyeau

]]>2492Temptation Rag Tells the Story of Ragtime in New Yorkhttps://magicofhistory.com/temptation-rag-the-story-of-new-york-ragtime/
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 05:04:48 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2487Magic of History is the current stop on the blog tour for Temptation Rag, by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard. It’s a remarkable turn of the 20th century story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness.This richly fictionalized historical saga spans 30 years and features an unforgettable cast. […]

]]>Magic of History is the current stop on the blog tour for Temptation Rag, by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard.
It’s a remarkable turn of the 20th century story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to
find forgiveness.This richly fictionalized historical saga spans 30 years and features an unforgettable cast.

Bernard was kind enough to answer a few questions about the book:

Why did you write Temptation Rag?

This is a story I felt was important to tell,” says Bernard. “I was drawn to it, at first, because my husband’s grandfather, Mike Bernard, was such a prominent part of the ragtime era in New York. But when my research led me to discover the significant controversies
surrounding ragtime music, particularly regarding some of the injustices suffered by African-American musicians during that time, I realized there was a much bigger story here. My goal as a writer was to craft a novel with historical color and emotional impact, and, in
the course of a compelling and fast-moving tale, to raise some essential but perplexing questions about human nature.”
What’s the biggest lesson we can learn from your examination of Ragtime New York?

One of the things that my story illuminates is the tremendous power of music, both on the individual and society. As one of my characters says, “. . . music has always been a reflection of the society in which it exists. But more than reflecting society, music also influences it.” As the Victorian era drew to a close, ragtime music both reflected and encouraged a greater permissiveness in society, as well as a crossing of racial and class boundaries. The infectious beat of syncopated ragtime music appealed to young people at the same time as it was abhorred by their elders. One could draw parallels, I suppose, with today’s rap music. But one of the most important points, from a historical perspective, is how difficult it was for African American musicians of that era to assert their claim to the origins of ragtime music as soon as white musicians, working for the big publishers on Tin Pan Alley, began churning out scores of ragtime hits and reaping huge profits. It was Ben Harney, a white musician from Kentucky, who in 1896 first popularized ragtime in New York City and became the highest-paid headliner in vaudeville. It wasn’t until 1913 that an African American, the comedian Bert Williams, was featured as a Broadway headliner. The fact is, racial prejudice kept many black entertainers from achieving the level of success of their white counterparts.

What were some of the biggest controversies surrounding Ragtime?

The music itself was a huge controversy. At the beginning of the 20th century, when ragtime was already vastly popular, the American Federation of Musicians went so far as to adopt a resolution characterizing it as “unmusical rot.” Even in the African American community, there was an influential group of artists and intellectuals who felt that the popularity of ragtime was a detriment to the development of a “serious class” of American music based on slave spirituals and more in line with established standards of legitimate composing. Then there was the controversy over who could play “authentic” ragtime. African American musicians struggling for recognition claimed they were the only ones who could play authentic ragtime, since it was their invention. Ben Harney, on the other hand, claimed that he was the inventor of ragtime. This tension is a significant element of my story though within the broader context of the emotional journeys of the characters, some of them white and some African American, as they search for love, fame, and the true meaning of “success.”

What else should people know about the era and setting of your book?

My novel takes place over quite a lengthy time frame, beginning in 1895 and ending in 1929, with a final chapter years later in 1943. The physical settings, fashion, modes of transportation, social mores—all these things had to change along with the characters’ perceptions and emotions during the various phases of their personal dramas. I love it that so many advance readers of my book have commented that they felt as if they were totally immersed in the vaudeville era and the music of ragtime. Readers of historical fiction always like to learn something from the books they read. I make no secret of the fact that my book is fiction, but it is grounded in a lot of historical fact that gives it substance and authenticity. I hope that readers of TEMPTATION RAG will look at the era in a new way having seen it through the eyes of some of the real-life people who made it great.

Author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

Temptation Rag goes on sale December 3, 2018 in paperback and on e-book retailers.

]]>2487The Ragged Edge of Night Ultimately Disappointshttps://magicofhistory.com/the-ragged-edge-of-night-by-olivia-hawker-review/
Fri, 09 Nov 2018 01:33:19 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2460The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker is an engaging tale of German resistance during World War II that centers on an ex-friar who marries and lives a celibate life, all the while actively working against the German government. The friar carries with him a guilt from before the time his order was eliminated […]

]]>The Ragged Edge of Night by Olivia Hawker is an engaging tale of German resistance during World War II that centers on an ex-friar who marries and lives a celibate life, all the while actively working against the German government.

The friar carries with him a guilt from before the time his order was eliminated by the Nazis, a guilt that convinces him he must do something to stop Adolf Hitler. After marrying Elisabeth and getting to know her two children, he starts carrying messages, ostensibly regarding assassination plans for Hitler.

The book is written in present tense and is quite introspective — Anton’s spiritual outlook that helped him as a friar is carried forward to his new family life and his questions about the Nazis. He is often conflicted, which mirrors real life.

Indeed, we learn in the author’s note at the end that this book is based on a true story, that of her husband’s grandfather, who lived in the same small town the book is set in.

And the author’s note is where the big problems set in. First, the author tells us the publisher convinced her to change some things from what really happened to increase the “tension.” So they decided Anton and Elizabeth would not have sex in their marriage. This would seem to reduce tension. Historically, Anton and Elizabeth had their first child during the war. If this had happened in the book, it would seem to increase tension, at least in some ways. And it would make more sense overall. And there was another big problem.

There is nothing worse than an author engaging in a political diatribe. It automatically alienates half the population and it ruined an otherwise okay book for me. The author discussed how the 2016 presidential election inspired her to write the book and compared white supremacists in the U.S.A to Nazis, saying she was afraid that something like what happened to Germany in the 1930s could happen here.

A memorial to German resistance fighters at Benderbloch, the site of an assasination attempt on Adolf Hitler

Whether or not you believe that to be true, an author’s note is not the place to express political views. Too many readers will be turned off, as I was.

Oddly, the author also states that she does not believe in God, yet she has written a fairly passable spiritual novel. The book will make you think about the nature of good and evil, and what spurs people to act in ways they normally wouldn’t (Such as concern for their children.)

It’s definitely not your normal WWII historical novel. I had to laugh at some of the reviewers who complained the book was too “preachy.” The author states how she has religious in-laws. It is obvious that she understands them and appreciates them, or she wouldn’t have written the book.

So I am left a little puzzled and yes, disappointed. It’s not a perfect book, but I did enjoy reading it, especially after a bit of a slow start.

]]>2460That Churchill Woman Drags to a Conclusionhttps://magicofhistory.com/that-churchill-woman-drags-to-a-conclusion/
Sat, 20 Oct 2018 03:41:35 +0000https://magicofhistory.com/?p=2449That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron is a bit of a slog — unless you enjoy reading multitudinous descriptions of nineteenth century clothing and all about the upper crust of Britain. It’s the story of Churchill’s mother, American Jennie Jerome, who moves to England and marries the son of a duke three days after meeting […]

]]>That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron is a bit of a slog — unless you enjoy reading multitudinous descriptions of nineteenth century clothing and all about the upper crust of Britain.

It’s the story of Churchill’s mother, American Jennie Jerome, who moves to England and marries the son of a duke three days after meeting them. It’s not exactly a successful marriage, but they do manage to beget Winston eight months after the wedding. That just about sums up the book. Except Jennie has an affair with a Count, which also has a disappointing end.

Perhaps it’s just the subject — Mrs. Churchill is known to have cheated on her husband numerous times and a man other than her husband apparently fathered her second son– but I can’t help but think the author could improve her writing style. The book has plenty of telling and not so much showing. There’s also not much detailed description, except for the aforementioned clothing. It took effort to finish the book.
Mrs. Churchill isn’t seen as the most loving of mothers: she sends Winston off to boarding school at the age of six and parties while he’s on the verge of death from pneumonia. Yet we are asked to see her as a sympathetic character. It’s a stretch, for me at least. Yes, she is cowed by her husband from visiting Winston. But Jennie is painted as independent and strong in the rest of the book.

Jennie was part of a wave of American young women who fled to Britain in an effort to snare a titled man. She succeeds, but she isn’t really happy. She’s portrayed as romantic, artistic and adventurous, with a troubled young son (Winston) who is tortured at his boarding schools but nevertheless stays there.

She stays marries to her husband because they are intellectually compatible, but he later learns he has syphilis, which she fortunately has not contracted. Theirs is a marriage of convenience, with both having affairs as they see fit. Winston adores both his father and his mother, but sees little of them.

But Jennie is distracted by her affair with Count Kinski, a Prussian count with parents who are not impressed with Jennie. Her American heritage does not impress much of the British nobility, including her mother-in-law. But Kinski becomes a type of father figure to Winston, who rarely sees his real father.
By this time, Randolph Churchill is descending into madness, and his wife decides to take him on a farewell tour of the world, to see the country he helped annex during his term in Parliament,Burma. But by the time they get to Burma, Randolph is insensate.

Randolph, who was very famous as a politician, dies without leaving his son much of a legacy, and his wife no kind of emotional legacy at all.

All in all, it’s a sad story, and not a well told one. Jennie’s love stories fade into nothingness, and, other than looking good, we are left to wonder what Jennie Churchill accomplished in life other than bearing a man who would change history.